Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of grilling season in America, and most backyard cooks are working from the same short list: hot dogs, burger patties and not much else. For anyone hosting a crowd this weekend, there is a better menu within reach, one that takes roughly the same effort and lands considerably better than the default.
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For most Americans, Memorial Day means gathering outside with people they love and firing up the grill. That kind of occasion deserves a menu built for it: a marinated protein, an unexpected side, a make-ahead dish and a strawberry dessert timed to National Strawberry Month.
Skip the burger: Make marinated flank steak
Flank steak is the dish for a crowd that wants something intentional without tripling the grocery bill. The cut is lean, takes a marinade exceptionally well and cooks fast over high heat, about 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
A simple overnight marinade of soy sauce, lime juice, garlic and a bit of brown sugar does the work for you. Let it rest 10 minutes before slicing against the grain, and it feeds six people without anyone standing at the grill for an hour. It also tracks with what Americans are already reaching for: steak purchases at Memorial Day cookouts rose 4 percentage points year over year in 2025, the biggest menu shift of any protein that season. For larger crowds, boneless chicken thighs marinated the same way are equally forgiving and cook in roughly the same time.
The side dish that steals the show: Grilled elote corn
Elote-style corn has quietly become the cookout side everyone asks for the recipe on. Shuck the ears, brush with oil and grill over high heat, turning until char marks develop on all sides. While the corn is still warm, dress each ear with a thin layer of mayonnaise, a squeeze of lime, crumbled cotija, chili powder and fresh cilantro. It travels better than it looks, the toppings hold, and it anchors the table in a way that a bowl of potato chips simply does not.
Make it the night before: Apple cider vinegar slaw
The antidote to a heavy mayo slaw is a vinegar-based version that actually improves overnight in the refrigerator. Shred green and red cabbage, add thin-sliced red onion and a handful of fresh dill, then toss with a dressing of apple cider vinegar, a little olive oil, honey, celery seed and salt.
It needs at least four hours to soften and for the flavors to blend. Make it Friday night, and it will be ready Saturday afternoon. It cuts through rich grilled meat cleanly and holds its texture for hours on a buffet table, which not every side dish can say.
May is National Strawberry Month. Use that: Grilled pound cake with macerated strawberries
Slice a store-bought pound cake into thick pieces and grill each side for 90 seconds over medium heat until char marks develop. While the cake grills, macerate sliced strawberries with a tablespoon of sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar for 20 minutes. Spoon the strawberries over the warm cake and finish with a dollop of whipped cream. It looks like effort, but it takes 25 minutes total and keeps the dessert course on the grill, where the rest of the meal lives.
A complete table, not a default one
The best Memorial Day cookouts are not necessarily the most elaborate. They are the ones where the food actually gets talked about. A well-marinated steak, a dressed ear of corn, a slaw that has been sitting overnight: these are small decisions that separate a meal people remember from one they forget before the plates are cleared.
Zuzana Paar is the visionary behind five inspiring websites: Amazing Travel Life, Low Carb No Carb, Best Clean Eating, Tiny Batch Cooking and Sustainable Life Ideas. As a content creator, recipe developer, blogger and photographer, Zuzana shares her diverse skills through breathtaking travel adventures, healthy recipes and eco-friendly living tips. Her work inspires readers to live their best, healthiest and most sustainable lives.